


Sparky and Sweetness

by MissFaber



Series: The Drabble Series [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst, F/M, Friendship, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-09
Updated: 2013-04-06
Packaged: 2017-12-04 18:43:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/713829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissFaber/pseuds/MissFaber
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of Zutara drabbles and one-shots. Prompts and requests will be taken on my tumblr, through private messaging, or through comments. Enjoy!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Serendipity

**Author's Note:**

> This is whereI'll be posting my responses to Zutara requests I recieve on my tumblr- so welcome to the place where you can read horribly disconnected, tragic, smutty, and/or silly Zutara drabbles. Enjoy your stay.
> 
> The first seven drabbles belong to Zutara Week 2012.

**Prompt: Serendipity**

_Serendipity: [ser-uhn-dip-i-tee] n. an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident_

* * *

"Zuko!" Her frantic whisper sounded abnormally loud, echoing against the metal walls. "We'll be caught!"

"By who?" Zuko raised an eyebrow, amused despite his thudding heart. "I'm the Fire Lord."

"I- you- I don't know!" Katara cast a cautious glance around her, as though masked Fire Nation guards would apparate from the tight walls of the tunnel. "We shouldn't be here, Zuko."

"Hush." Their footsteps sounded uncommonly loud, even through his warped ear. Katara's nonsense was getting to him.

"But-"

Zuko held up a hand and pointed, silencing her. "We're here."

Before them was a metal wall, the height of perhaps four men. A complex metal contraption jutted from it at face level; an absurd imitation of a doorknob. On either side of it were two copper dragons, curling and twisting in on their thin, long bodies until they disappeared on either side of the awestruck teenagers. Their fierce faces were contorted into scowls. Beady eyes, rusted over, started down at them; the dragons' jaws were open, waiting.

"How do we open it?"

Zuko turned to Katara, found her eyes wide, sparkling with uabashed excitement. He raised his hands, recalling the detailed instructions Uncle had given him. "Stand back."

Katara obeyed. Zuko positioned his fists underneath the dragons' open, expectant mouths. Torrents of flame sprung from them, swallowed by the inanimate beings. Something seemed to rumble in their copper stomachs, and a moment later, the knob twisted of its own accord. The heavy door opened with a hiss.

Zuko and Katara exchanged a glance, then took a simultaneous step forward.

The vault's ceiling was, oddly enough, domed. The entire room seemed to sparkle; piles of gold, rubies, diamonds, emeralds, sapphires, leaned against the walls, against ancient chests, against tall urns and seemed to swallow them up.

A breathy sigh escaped Katara's lips. "The Fire Nation sure is wealthy."

Zuko's mouth quirked into a wry smile. "Let's look around."

They did so, finding nothing particularily intriguing; though that in of itself was a paradox, considering they were surrounded by chunks of rare jewels.

"Zuko, look at this!"

At her delighted cry, Zuko left the fragile scroll he had been attempting to interpret and went to her. She presented an outstretched hand; in her open palm was a curious jewel.

Zuko leaned in closer to examine it; it was of a midnight blue, cut through with veins of sparkling whites and twinkling emeralds. The stone was cut into a perfect rounded oval, flattened at the bottom so that it lay comfortably in Katara's hand.

"It's the only one," she told him. "At least, I think it is. I can't find any more of it. Though, in a vault of this size, it would probably take me years to search properly."

A memory permeated Zuko's consciousness, a dry winter morning in which he and Azula pored over books as their instructor paced at the head of the room.  _Lapis Lazuli_.

"It's not quite a jewel, but not a rock..." Katara was talking to him; Zuko shook his head free of that day and looked up at her. "What is it, Zuko?"

A small smile spread over his face, almost of its own accord. "Serendipity."

Katara's brow furrowed, but she didn't comment. Soon enough, she dropped the stone, and as soon as her back was turned, Zuko discreetly picked it up and hid it in the folds of his robe.

He wouldn't have need of it soon; not for a long time, he figured, since he and Katara were both teenagers with duties larger than the both of them. Yet, the day would come, he knew, when he'd need to carve a stone; and he felt secure in the slight weight that pressed against his abdomen. He knew which stone he would use.

But more importantly, he thought, as Katara's laugh rang through the metal chamber, he knew who he would carve it _for_.


	2. Masks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Momentous

Momentous: [moh-men-tuhs] adj. of great or far-reaching importance or consequence.

Velvety royal blue; shimmering blue flowers peeping from chocolate curls. Silver, everywhere; in the lace trim of her sleeves and hem, glittering from the mask that covered half of her face. Her eyes were lined with the blackest kohl; combined with azure irises and mocha skin, it gave her a wild, exotic look.

It should have been perfect- everything about this night- but it wasn't.

Zuko was missing. The ball was in full swing; swirls of elaborate robes and long dresses, glitters of gossamer masks, clinks of delicate glasses as people toasted over their firewhiskey. Not much to toast, Katara thought bitterly, pushing her way as politely as she could through the crowd. The party was routine, a tradition established since the end of the war. Ambassadors, nobles, and royalty from all corners of the world would gather at the Fire Palace for the most elegant party of the year, while festivals and carnivals wracked the Palace City for an entire week afterwards. Usually, Katara immersed herself in the joviality of it all; but this year, she knew, there was the least reason to celebrate.

Over the past few months, towns and cities had been pillaged by merciless rebels; over the past few weeks, two attempts had been made to end the Fire Lord's- her boyfriend's- life. Zuko was at his wit's end, and it wasn't even for himself, she knew. He was worried about his nation, about his people; he was worried about what would happen if he failed.

Eventually, Katara reached Zuko's study; and not bothering to knock as she usually would, she simply pushed her way past the doors.

Zuko didn't bother to look up from the papers he was supposedly immersed in; but she knew better. "I'll be there in a minute."

Katara pushed a breath past her lips. "Zuko."

He looked up. How long had those bags been there, she wondered; those incriminating shadows beneath his eyes? And why hadn't she noticed them until now?

She felt, rather than saw, the pad of his thumb graze her lip. "You'll make it bleed."

Katara released her bottom lip; she hadn't even realized she was biting it. "Why aren't you at the ball?"

"Paperwork," he answered succintly. "The paperwork never ends."

"Zuko," she said again. "I know you better."

"I can handle this." The line of determination in his jaw was something he knew he inherited from his father. "Trust me, 'Tara, I'm okay."

"Zuko…" Her fingers grazed his hairline.

"I can handle it." The words were forced past gritted teeth.

Her trailing hands moved to hold his face, cupping each cheek with her palms. "Don't do that."

"Do what?"

"Pretend," she said, words fervent. "I deserve better."

His smile was wry. "You do."

"Oh Zuko, talk to me," she pleaded, fingers kneading his temples. "Don't pretend you're okay when you aren't. You can share things with me, Zuko- you don't have to take care of it all by yourself. That's what intimacy is."

Katara undid his topknot, pulling the crown from it and setting it on the desk. "It's hard," he finally said, and the words literally wrenched from his throat.

She nodded encouragingly, threading her fingers through his hair; but he closed his mouth in a certain manner, his lips pressing together in a way that told her he wouldn't divulge any more.

Zuko gently pried her fingers from his scalp, picked up his crown and his mask. He rose. "We're already late."

Katara nodded, and she didn't know why her chest rang with the pangs of loss.

Zuko extended a hand to her, accompanied with a small smile full of the apologies he couldn't verbally say. "Coming?"

She nodded again; and somehow, in that moment, as her tapered fingers slid into his calloused palm, Katara felt worlds shift and collide and rearrange themselves. Everything had just changed between them, in that insignificant second, in a few carelessly uttered words. And, she thought dismally, it may be too late to do anything about it.

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave comments + kudos!


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